Microsoft Takes a Side in PC Wars

Microsoft Corp.'s contribution to the Dell Inc. buyout is a $2 billion gamble that the software giant can prop up one of its biggest customers without annoying all the others.

Microsoft said its aim is to sustain the web of companies that help sell its software and services. It has done it before. It put billions into Nokia Corp. to get its software on smartphones and pays Yahoo Inc. to bolster its Bing search engine.